Domains of third or higher level are also known as subdomains, though this term technically applies to a domain of any level, since even a top-level domain is a "subdomain" of the "root" domain (a "zeroth-level" domain that is designated by a dot alone).

As domainnames became attractive to marketers, rather than just the technical audience for which they were originally intended, they began to be used in manners that in many cases did not fit in their intended structure.

The popularity of domainnames also led to uses which were regarded as abusive by established companies with trademark rights; this was known as cybersquatting, in which somebody took a name that resembled a trademark in order to profit from traffic to that address.

Naming your site after your domain may seem obvious to some of you, but you'll be surprised to learn that not every website is named after the domainname even when the webmaster owns that domainname.

Naming a site after its domainname is important, for the simple reason that when people think of your website, they'll think of it by name.

Some argue that shorter domainnames are easier to remember, easier to type and far less susceptible to mistakes: for example, "getit.com" is easier to remember and less prone to typos than "connecttomywebsiteandobtainit.com".

In order to register a second level domainname under a top-level domain, a request must be made to the organization that has the power to assign names for that top-level domain.

When a company finds that the domainname corresponding to their corporate name or product trademark is owned by someone else, the company can either choose a different name or fight to get the domainname back from its current owners.

It was sometimes difficult to present a strong case under the traditional principals of trademark law, especially when the party seeking to obtain a domainname either could not prove a likelihood of confusion (which is required under trademark law) or was a famous individual who never technically established trademark rights in their name.

We'll cover the definition, the origins and the history of the domainname system, and then move to their role in site promotion and finally the procedures for choosing and the actual process to register your domain.

A domainname is the second-level domain, in alpha and or numerical form that is part of a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) that tells the DNS (DomainName System) where to locate documents, organizations or resources on the Internet.

The domainname must be combined with a TLD (top-level-domain) like.com and must be unique to the TLD.

While most companies back their domainnames with one or two servers, eNom domainnames are backed by five giant servers in five different locations worldwide, resulting in greater reliability and speed.

Domainnames must be at least two characters long and no more than 63 characters maximum, excluding the top level domain.

It is important to keep track of the renewal period because if the domainname is not renewed, it can be registered by anyone for their own use.

During the registration process you will be asked where you want the domainname to "point." This is the IP address of the server where your Web site will be located and there should be a primary and secondary server.

Click on a domainname to go to a short summary of the dispute, with links the parties involved, news reports, and legal documents (when available).

It is clear that nothing in trademark law requires that title to domainnames that incorporate trademarks or portions of trademarks be provided to trademark holders.

To hold otherwise would create an immediate and indefinite monopoly to all famous mark holders on the Internet, by which they could lay claim to all.com domainnames which are arguably 'the same' as their mark.

While domainnames in the DNS have no restrictions on the characters they use and can include non-ASCII characters, the same is not true for host names.

Host names are restricted to a small subset of the ASCII character set that includes the Roman alphabet in upper and lower case, the digits 0 through 9, the dot, and the hyphen.

In the United States, the "Truth in DomainNames Act", in combination with the PROTECT Act, forbids the use of a misleading domainname with the intention of attracting people into viewing a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct on the Internet.

Disputes alleged to arise from abusive registrations of domainnames (for example, cybersquatting) may be addressed by expedited administrative proceedings that the holder of trademark rights initiates by filing a complaint with an approved dispute-resolution service provider.

Uniform DomainName Dispute Resolution Policy -- This policy is followed by all registrars.

Rules for Uniform DomainName Dispute Resolution Policy -- These rules are followed by all dispute-resolution service providers, with supplementation by each provider's supplemental rules.